Jerry Maguire (1996)

Show me the money. You complete me. You had me at hello. Jerry Maguire is Cameron Crowe's bread and butter. Without it, there would be no "Almost Famous". It's one of the most quoted movies of an entire generation. Perhaps that's what lessens the experience in retrospect. Oh yes, I liked this movie. I liked it a whole lot in a few sections. The beginning monologue and montage is absolutely golden. An exuberant, excellent hook that highlights the best of Crowe's ability, and why I admire him so much as a director. On that alone, the movie rockets itself into watchability, and seizes our attention for the 2 hours and 10 minutes it lasts. Rene Zellweger is really good here, as well as the ever adorable, Jonathan Lipnicki. Can we get a child star Oscar going? As if it wasn't enough, is "Boyhood" a better incentive to start? Cuba Gooding Jr., who won the Oscar for his performance, nails it. He's the smartest and funniest person in the entire film. He had Jerry in the palm of his hand the whole time, and he picked his brain like no other. SHOW ME THE MONEY, JERRY! The performances rule. What's the biggest flaw? Well, the screenplay. I know, 20 years down the line, any movie is going to become cliche, but for some reason, this movie has spectacularly cliched moments. The closing speech that Jerry gives is one that really highlights it. So, freaking, corny. Cameron Crowe is a great writer (a genius actually), and this movie has many memorable scenes of dialog, but he's always had trouble with writing touching speeches.. something he's been struggling with pretty severely as of late... (cough) "Aloha" (cough). This is a fine piece of work, and worth seeing, but bring a toothbrush.. that's all I have to say.